


Sympathetic Magic

by debwalsh



Series: Bingo-Bingo [18]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon-Typical Violence, Cursed Bucky Barnes, Hurt Bucky Barnes, M/M, Pre-Serum Steve Rogers, Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes, Wizard Steve Rogers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-25
Updated: 2019-05-25
Packaged: 2020-03-14 16:13:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18951574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/debwalsh/pseuds/debwalsh
Summary: Silenced by a curse from the Cult of Hydra, Bucky Barnes transfers to Hogwarts hoping for some peace and safety.He hadn’t planned on Steve Rogers.Fills the Hogwarts square of my AU Bingo, and the prompt request of my Patreon patron, Noukian!





	Sympathetic Magic

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Noukian](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Noukian/gifts).



> I will admit that my knowledge of the Rowlingverse is from the movies and Wikipedia, so I apologize if I’ve made any egregious errors in this tale. But damn, this was fun to write! I am totally addicted to writing prompts, especially for my patrons since I’m getting to know what they like, and that helps inspire new ideas for me.

Steve surveyed his reflection critically, and found it wanting.He’d inadvertently won Gryffindor’s election for head wizard last term, and now he was looking at spending his last year at Hogwarts mired down with politics and administrivia. 

If he ever found out who cast the spell that convinced 90% of the members of his house to write his name in on the ballot for head wizard for House Gryffindor, he’d have their wand, and their entrails, too.

He hadn’t even been running for the office.  Worse, he didn’t want it.  His friend Sam Wilson said that’s why he was best suited for it.

Some days, he really, really hated Sam Wilson and his practical view of the world.

But mostly, he hated being head wizard for Gryffindor.Not that anyone cared.

So he’d been stuck with issues of personality, issues of proximity, issues of pure cussedness for the past three months.He was done.Done, he said.But no one was listening, least of all anyone who’d do anything to save him from the hell that was student government.

And now he had to meet with Headmistress McGonagall.He liked the headmistress - she was practical and empathetic, and had been head of Gryffindor in the days of Dumbledore.She’d brought Hogwarts back from the edge of the abyss caused by the battle with Voldemort and his followers, inspiring all to elevate the school to the condition it was in today, ten years later.She knew her stuff, and he never felt like she was wasting time - hers or his. 

But Steve really didn’t want this job, no matter how nice she was to him, or how many sweets she allowed him.

But, he arranged his robes, tucked his wand in its proper place, and off he went.

Ugh.Politics.

&&&

“Master Rogers.Thank you for coming.Please,” Minerva McGonagall gestured toward the dragon’s egg dish where a number of colorful wrapped sweets awaited him.

“Headmistress,” he greeted, bowing his head slightly.

“Oh, come, boy.You know I don’t stand on ceremony.I’ve asked you here because I need your help.”

“My help, Headmistress?  What is it this time?  Ghosts in the loo?  Poltergeist in the garden?”

“A new student.A fourth year, like you.He comes to us from a wizarding school in the Americas - Hydra-Shield.His parents have asked that he continue his education here at Hogwarts.”

“What, so I’m now the American whisperer?Just because I’m from Brooklyn -“

“That is a factor, yes.This young man also hails from Brooklyn.He comes to us damaged, Steve.His parent believe that their son was caught in the backwash of a spell gone wrong, but they have been unable to identify the spell or the caster.Hydra-Shield claims they’ve done a full investigation, and have found no evidence of any such spell, and consider this boy’s condition to be psychosomatic.”

“What, so they’re giving up on him?”

“And see, that’s why I feel you’re the perfect person to take him under your wing.Your complete intolerance to injustice makes you the ideal roommate for this James Barnes.He cannot speak, nor can he answer questions about what’s happened, but his parents are convinced that something has been done to their son.You have a gift for getting under people’s skin, Steve, but more importantly, you are tenacious and intelligent.Caring, despite your salty disposition.I trust you to do your best for James.”

Well, this was way more Steve’s style.He liked to help people, and that commitment to justice had led to confusion over the direction Steve’s life would take in the wizarding world.He had some talent in wizarding law.But he also had a keen interest in the medical field.And battle magic.And ... well, the thing was, Steve found everything interesting, and with his eidetic memory, he retained massive amounts of information.He was one of the top students at Hogwarts.He was also the son of Sarah Rogers, nee Fitzgerald of Ireland, a Hogwarts legacy, which is how he ended up at Hogwarts and not Hydra-Shield.

“And is the Council checking into irregularities at Hydra-Shield?” Steve asked then.There was a reason his mother hadn’t wanted him there, a sense of unease she’d felt about the American wizarding school since the current headmaster, Alexander Pierce, had risen so quickly through the ranks to take over the flagship American school.

“That is not your concern at this juncture, Master Rogers.But will you take up this charge?Work with Master Barnes and help us figure out just what’s happened to him?If nothing else, I believe he could use a friend.”

“You promise me he’s not an asshole?”

“Can I promise him that you aren’t?”

Steve grinned cheekily, enjoying the humor that sparkled in McGonagall’s eyes. “Fair enough.I’ll give it a shot.”

“That’s my boy.Now take the rest of those back with you - I hear he has a sweet tooth, too.”

“He’s here already?”

McGonagall snagged one of the brilliant yellow sweets as he picked up the bowl.She quickly unwrapped it and popped it in her mouth, smiling sweetly.“He’s been settling in in your rooms while we’ve been talking,” she told him, her eyes dancing with mirth.

Yep, Steve’d been had once again.Hoisted by his own frigging sense of justice.McGonagall knew him too well.But he had one more card to play.He took his time unwrapping a bright blue sweet, slid it slowly into his mouth, and sucked on it for a moment with his eyes closed, letting the berry flavors spread over his tongue.He balled up the wrapper and opened his eyes. “As head wizard for Gryffindor, I’m required to have a private room so I can’t be influenced by any faction within the house.If I’m to take this Barnes on as a roommate, obviously I can no longer serve.”

McGonagall stared at him open mouthed for a long moment, her tongue a lurid yellow from the sweet she’d taken.Then her eyes narrowed, a hint of laughter and respect battling in their depths.“Well played, Master Rogers.Well played.I’ll inform your second she’ll be taking over.Ms. Carter will make an excellent head wizard for Gryffindor.”

“Better than me.”

“Well, that remains to be seen. And you may find yourself persona non grata with Ms. Carter, considering the way she’s been maneuvering to get Ms. Martinelli reassigned as her roommate.Now, go, meet your new roommate.And be prepared to sit with me later this week to give me your impressions.” 

&&&

Bucky stared at the private bedroom attached to a shared suite he’d been assigned and frowned.The place was ancient and continually confusing - shifting stairs, portraits that spoke, ghosts flitting about.The weight of age and power was fused into the walls, the draperies, the very air.Everyone had heard the tales of the great battle between the wizards of Hogwarts and the followers of Voldemort, but it was a very different thing to stand in the midst of where it had all happened.

He could feel the echoes of history ebb and flow around him.The aura was washed clean of actual evil, but there were afterimages burned into the magic held within the school’s walls.Perhaps to remind future generations of what could happen when wizards thought to place themselves above others.

The feel of Hogwarts was very different than Hydra-Shield.For one thing, Hydra-Shield was centuries younger, like the country in which it stood.And it had no reminders of the dangers of hubris.It was choking on them.

Instead, it had Alexander Pierce and his personal guard of toadies and sycophants, of bullies and bastards.Bucky had been investigating weird and unpleasant happenings at the school, aided by his best friends Natasha and Clint.Fortunately, only he had been caught, and the charm he’d placed on himself had prevented him from exposing his two friends.

But the curse Pierce had had his necromancer Zola put on him had silenced him entirely.His voice was silent, but more, he couldn’t articulate anything about what was going on at Hydra-Shield. He could try, but the curse would flood his brain with electric current, and he’d pass out in a St. Vitus Dance frenzy.The first time it had happened, he’d been in a coma for days, and when he woke, he couldn’t remember who he was at first, let alone the secret he carried.

He’d tried writing it out, only to have the same thing happen again.Mouthing the words, same thing.Thinking out loud, talking via telepathy, he’d found the pattern.He could write, think, type everything else.But he could’t speak at all, and he couldn’t communicate anything about what Pierce had planned.Even thinking about specifics triggered debilitating pain.So he was stuck knowing that bad shit was happening, and he had no way of alerting anyone or of getting help.He even knew how to remove the curse, as well as how impossible it was, thanks to Pierce’s gloating.It was torture.

It had been his idea to transfer to Hogwarts.Pierce hadn’t been happy, but he couldn’t go up against Bucky’s parents.He’d tried to communicate to Nat and Clint that they needed to get their parents to transfer them, too, but he wasn’t sure he’d been successful. He was here, but he didn’t know if they were following.He was worried.He trusted them to be smart, but they didn’t know how much danger they were in, and Pierce was like a basilisk, a fury, and a death eater all rolled into one.

He honestly didn’t believe he was any safer here than if he’d stayed at Hydra-Shield, but at least he didn’t feel like he was going to spew every second from the soured taste of fouled magic.And he’d have some respite from being forced to watch the smarmy Head promise the world, knowing he was dedicated to destroying it.

The Head here seemed genuinely nice, older than he was used to, but kind.And the power that came off her was incredible.She’d just told him he’d have another American as a roommate, and that that roommate was a senior, a fourth year, like him.He could show him the ropes, maybe.The Head also told Bucky he could trust this guy, that he was one of the good ones.

Well, that remained to be seen.

&&&

“James?James, are you here?” Bucky heard a deliciously deep voice with a familiar Brooklyn burr call out from the lounge.That must be the mysterious roommate, someone named Steve, according to the Head.Well, no time like the present ...

Bucky came out into the shared lounge and glanced around, looking for the source of that voice. 

What he found was his most precious wet dream.

Petite, lithe, tow-headed.Crackling with energy and even more magic.Slender, long-fingered hands.Pink, plush lips.And oh my God, Bucky was going to pop a boner the first time he met his roommate!

Steve turned then, blessing Bucky with a view of the most beautiful blue eyes he’d ever seen, surrounded by lush, long lashes.His cheeks immediately pinked up, making him look even more adorable - and adorable was good, because it overrode sinfully perfect, and encouraged his dick to calm the hell down.Until Bucky realized his eyes were following the blush down to Steve’s collar and he was already wondering how far it went and if he could follow it with his tongue ...

“You must be James.I’m Steve,” the tiny blond bombshell greeted, stepping forward with his hand outstretched.And Bucky had another inappropriate thought that was threatening to trigger an embarrassing and potentially difficult moment.

Instead, he accepted the hand, his eyes widening at the surge of energy that passed back and forth between them, and enjoyed the look of surprise sparking in those blue eyes.Bucky grinned at him, and lifted his left hand and traced a spell in the air.Suddenly, his name, Bucky, floated a few inches above Steve’s eyeline, His eyes flicked upward and he shook his head, smiling ruefully.

“Who the hell is Bucky?”

Bucky pointed to himself, grinning wider.

“That’s your name?How do you get Bucky out of James?” Steve asked, chuckling.

Bucky answered Steve by writing his full name in fire in the air - “James Buchanan ‘Bucky’ Barnes.”Steve laughed at his over the top response, but said, “Well, I guess if you can’t speak, fire writing will do.Something tells me we’re gonna get along, snark and all.”

Bucky felt more at ease than he’d felt for a long time.This Steve wasn’t just a looker - he could feel the power radiating off him, even not touching.And wow, he wanted to touch.And he liked his sense of humor already.Fact was, Bucky was already smitten.And looking at the expression of interest on his face, Steve wasn’t far behind.Bucky felt his lips curl in a genuine smile.Maybe a move to Hogwarts wouldn’t be the worst that could happen after all.

&&&

Over the next few days Steve introduced Bucky to the wonders of Hogwarts, including his small group of friends.Despite his inability to speak, Bucky entered into a prank war with Sam almost immediately, with Maria Hill egging the pair of them on gleefully.

Peggy and Angie adopted him immediately, even as Peggy tweaked Steve’s ear for lumbering her with the head wizard for Gryffindor role.She’d been working on getting Angie reassigned to be her suite-mate, and her Steve-engineered promotion cost her that convenience, putting the kibosh on cohabitation, but leaving the girls with the excitement of assignations and a bit of sneaking around.So, business as usual, unfortunately for Peg. 

The brothers Odinson, Thor and Loki, both hit it off with Bucky immediately, although they rarely socialized together.Where Thor was sunny and outgoing, Loki was more circumspect, more dour.But they were both highly intelligent, powerful wizards in their own rights, and constantly held to the straight and narrow thanks to the fact their mother, Dr. Frigga, was Hogwarts official medical director.

The last of the crew, Peggy’s cousin Sharon and Peggy’s very good friend Daniel (just how good Peggy refused to say, but the air around him, Peg, and Angie was always pretty electric, to say the least), rounded out the gang.

It was surprising how easily Bucky slotted into daily life in Gryffindor and at Hogwarts. They moved smoothly around each other, comfortable as if they’d known each other since childhood.The fact that Steve found Bucky absolutely beautiful in every way was beside the point.Really, it was.But the more time they spent together, the more aware Steve became of irregularities in Bucky’s aura.

A week after Bucky arrived at Hogwarts, Steve was ready to start doing a proper investigation.With Bucky’s consent, he started probing Bucky’s aura, testing Bucky’s reactions and his magic, and soon worked out that Bucky was cursed. 

What’s more, once he made real contact with Bucky’s aura, Steve started to see things in his dreams, people he didn’t know speaking in American accents, flashes of places that looked familiar - Brooklyn and Manhattan, Coney Island, and Lady Liberty.But also places he’d never seen - the marble facade of an austere edifice, wide stairs leading up to a massive wooden double doors, a broad manicured lawn dropping away to wood, thick and murky.A thin-lipped older man with dead eyes.Another man, toad-like, with eyes made tiny-looking through thick, wireless lenses.

As Steve processed the dreams in the light of day, he quickly realized that Bucky’s dreams were bleeding into his.Finally, over breakfast shared in their lounge, he gently tried to question Bucky to validate that the dreams were actually memories, and witnessed first hand the impact of the curse - Bucky’s eyes rolled back in his head and he fell into a seizure, body twitching madly scaring the crap out of Steve in the process.Steve backed off immediately, and did everything he could to make Bucky comfortable, babbling nonsensical noise to comfort him.Bucky came back to himself soon after, and nodded when Steve asked if that had happened before.

“So anytime you think about whatever it was that happened, something makes you sick.”

Bucky’s hands gripped the edge of the table and he closed his eyes, scrunching them up as though he was in pain.He nodded once, and it was obvious from the growing pallor and the sheen of sweat that sprang up that the effort cost him.

Steve placed his hand over Bucky’s, and squeezed gently.“It’s okay.We’ll figure it out.C’mon, Buck, relax.You’re not alone in this anymore.I’m with you now.”

Bucky’s fingers squeezed back, and he slowly opened his eyes again.The smile he directed at Steve was wan but hopeful.He turned his hand over to thread his fingers with Steve’s, and Steve allowed him, feeling a thrill of connection.He looked into Bucky’s gray-blue eyes then, noted they were looking clearer, less strained.And then Bucky’s smile widened, and lit those eyes.

And Steve knew he was well and truly screwed.And he couldn’t be happier about it.

&&&

“Bucky has seen something terrible, and that someone has cursed him to keep him quiet about it.”

“Erm, and who would ‘Bucky’ be, Master Rogers?” Headmaster McGonagall asked, arching an eyebrow at Steve.

“My roommate.James, ma’am.”

“Ah.I thought perhaps it was some newfangled American action figure or some such nonsense.So you’ve begun your investigation in earnest, then.”

Steve went on to explain his observations, the dreams, Bucky’s reaction to what was really just gentle probing, his response to questions about what had happened to him, what he, Steve, had experienced and seen.

“In other words, this poor boy is clearly the victim of some form of malevolent enchantment,” McGonagall stated, resting her chin on the heel of her hand.“Rather, I think it might be a curse, young Rogers.The symptoms you describe, the reactions.Yes, I think this must be a primal curse, a spell that is bound to young Master Barnes’s life force.How this could have escaped Headmaster Pierce is beyond me.The Americans must be very lax in their medical magic, indeed.Or ... Well.We need to know more.We need to know what he’s been silenced over.The only way to find out what he’s seen, what he knows, without killing him, is to break the curse.”

“And how do we do that?” Steve asked, perched on the edge of his seat, leaning forward precariously.

“Well, obviously you must speak with the Mistress of Curses at once.”

&&&

“Hey, Steve-o!How’s it hangin’, bro?You tap that new roommate of yours yet?”

Miss Lewis, the self proclaimed Mistress of Curses, was a study in opposites.You’d think the faculty member responsible for such a dire thing as curses would be dark, broody. Miss Lewis was neither of those things.Instead, she was always decked out in garishly bright colors, had the sunniest disposition of anyone since the beginning of time, and was famous for always being wildly inappropriate.

Like now.

But Steve had finished a practicum with her last term, so he was used to her innuendo and her deliberately provocative language.And she knew that Steve was bisexual, because ferreting out personal secrets was Darcy Lewis’s not-so-secret vice.Not that Steve made a secret of his sexuality.

But since he and Bucky hadn’t got around to actually talking about Bucky’s sexuality, it really wouldn’t do to fuel Miss Lewis’s overheated and lascivious imagination.But she was really, really good at what she did, and Steve needed her help.Bucky needed her help.

“Actually, he’s why I’m here, Miss Lewis.The Head and I both believe that he’s under a curse.”

“Okay, so how many times do I have to ask you to call me Darcy, and wowza, why didn’t you come to see me sooner?”

“I just witnessed the consequences of the curse this morning, talked to Miss McGonagall, and she sent me here.”

“Okay.Did Minerva make a guess at the kind of curse?”

“She said it was a primal curse.”

“Oooh, those can be nasty.And difficult to break.Like, really, really difficult.Like pretty much no one can do it.The ingredients ... well.Most of them are easy-peasy.The most important one is always the toughest to locate.Like, seriously impossible.”She cracked out her glasses and stared into her scrying ball.Within a few seconds, Steve saw the scene from earlier that morning with him and Bucky having breakfast.“Hmm. Okay.So you’ve been testing his aura.Good.And oh - that’s interesting,” she added as Steve watching Bucky’s eyes roll back in his head again.Steve didn’t think it was “interesting” - he’d been there, and it was terrifying.“And look at you, all supporty and shit.Just Ike a real boyfriend should be.Stevie, if you aren’t tapping this hunk, you really need to have that noggin of yours examined.There is nothing that’s not perfect about him!”

“Except for the little matter of the curse.”

Darcy still had her attention riveted on the replay of Bucky’s reaction.She shook her head, grinning, then straightened and looked directly at him, beaming.“Curse, smurse!You got this!”

“I thought you said that a primal curse was really, really difficult to break.Like ‘seriously impossible’.”

“You know me.Hyperbole-r-me.So, yeah, I totally got faith in you.So what you need to do is ...”

&&&

Steve followed Darcy’s directions through the stacks of the library, into a little annex, and then into a closet off the annex, to an ancient tome written by the cult of the Red Skull.The Red Skull Codex was nearly as big as Steve, and there was no way he was going to be able to carry the book back to the rooms he shared with Bucky.Not under his own power at least.He considered his options, and examined the book to see if it was protected by any enchantments of its own.He couldn’t detect any, so he probed a little deeper, and still couldn’t find anything, which honestly, was kind of odd.And the door to the closet had been standing wide open, like nothing inside needed to be safeguarded.Maybe it didn’t.Maybe it was all inert within the wards of Hogwarts.But Steve would’ve thought an ancient volume full of hexes, curses, and hate-spew from one of the darkest sects in wizarding history had to be dangerous in and of itself.

And despite the lack of security, he wasn’t keen to have to stay there in that tiny space with the book, not to mention the other volumes that surrounded it.He was starting to get a prickly feeling up and down his spine, running down his arms - or rather, one arm.His left, where his birthmark rest on his upper arm.He tried to identify where the sensation was coming from, but the Red Skull book felt completely inert.Dead, even.It had to be one of the other books. 

Despite his temper and his thirst for justice, Steve was generally a pretty well-adjusted kid.He might not like the way he looked - he always felt like he was missing about 12 inches in height and another hundred pounds of muscle - but he was comfortable with who he was.As a result, he was surprisingly light on anxieties for a teenager.

But in that moment, he could feel his anxieties ratcheting up, gaining intensity.Worse, gaining power.Something in this room was reaching out to him, reaching inside, and making him feel nervous, uncertain, worthless even.Trapped.He needed to get out of there.

Finally, he couldn’t take anymore, and he chose to do a simple levitation spell to lift and carry the book out of the closet, through the annex, up through the library, and finally to his rooms.

The itchy feeling dialed back, became less noticeable, but it was still there.He was starting to fear that maybe he’d connected with a spirit attached to one of the books, that he was bringing some kind of traveler toward Bucky.But he probed the magical space around him, and could find nothing.Maybe it was just residual energy from whatever he’d encountered in the closet. 

Sticking his tongue out of his mouth and frowning in concentration, Steve continued to guide the ancient book through the labyrinths of Hogwarts, until he was just outside the rooms he shared with Bucky.

He stood outside the door, hesitant now.And then he heard Bucky’s scream.And felt the fire that erupted in his own left arm, spearing through his flesh into his very brain.

Then there was blackness.

&&&

“Why didn’t you go with him?” Headmistress McGonagall demanded.“Honestly, Darcy, we’ll be lucky if we don’t get slammed with a very well deserved child endangerment lawsuit.And that’s not even counting the very real damage these two boys have suffered as a result of your negligence!”

“I’m sorry!I could tell that Steve had the missing ingredient, and he’s such a strong and stable wizard, I really thought he’d be okay.I mean, this is Steve Rogers we’re talking about!This kid is like superhuman.”

“No, Darcy.He’s not.Now carry that monstrosity over to the table there.It’s been neutralized, but not before it did some damage.That poor boy,” she murmured.

“Wha’ happ’n’d?” Steve muttered, vaguely coming back to himself as he cracked open a blurry eye.His vision resolved as Headmistress McGonagall swam into view.

“You need to rest, Steve.  You’ve suffered a concussion from a very serious magical explosion.”

“Huh?I was bringing that book to - oh my goddess!Bucky!” he practically shouted, sitting up way too fast as the world around him careened and dove wildly.“He screamed,” Steve panted.“Is he -“

“We’re looking after him.But you need to rest now.”

“No, I need to go to him. This is my fault -“

“I can assure you that any fault that needs to be assigned will not be yours.Miss Lewis will be personally overseeing the curse removal spell, and she will personally return the Red Skull Codex back to the cursed volumes room.”

“That closet?”

“That closet, as you call it, is the darkest pit of wizarding hell. I can’t believe you didn’t lose your mind in there, let alone manage to remove the book and get it this far!”

“I couldn’t detect any wards or protective spells.And I needed to get it up here so I could find the right spell.That room is seriously creepy.”

“Of course it’s creepy, you daft boy.Those books contain some of the blackest magic this side of Voldemort.How did you even get into the room?You shouldn’t have even been able to get into it without a special key,” McGonagall said as she settled on the edge of the couch where Steve lay.

“I know.Or at least I think I do.I suspected.Which is why I told Steve to get the book himself,” Darcy said then, subdued and contrite.

“Well, do tell, Miss Lewis.”

“When Steve probed James’s aura, he inadvertently connected to the curse.The book saw him as a product of its contents.”

“I didn’t have to do anything to open the door.It was open when I got there.”

“Of all the - Miss Lewis.We are going to have to have a serious discussion on putting the safety of children first.Ahead of hunches and suspicions.They do not exist to test out your hypotheses.”Miss Lewis had the good grace to look abashed, but not entirely cowed.

“What does all this mean about Bucky?”

“It means, Steve, that James has come to the only place on the planet where he can be helped.Even more incredible, he is rooming with the only person alive capable of breaking his curse.”

“Me?I can really do it?”

“You’re the only one who can, Steve.But the spell is not without risk.To both of you.However, going forward, I shall personally supervise Miss Lewis supervising the pair of you,” McGonagall said, patting Steve’s arm gently.He winced as something like fire lanced through his upper arm.“Steve, what’s wrong?”

Steve rubbed at the spot - near his birthmark, strangely enough - that hurt.“It started right before I blacked out.My arm hurts -“

“Let me see,” McGonagall commanded, and Steve sat up then, pulled off his sweater, and then unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it down his arm on the left.And then his eyes widened on their own as he stared at the sickly glowing white star on his arm.The skin inside was red and puffy, and it felt like it was on fire.

“Well, shit,” Miss Lewis said then.

“Well, shit, indeed,” agreed McGonagall.

&&&

Headmistress McGonagall had enlisted the services of Thor and his compatriot Volstagg to move James from where he’d collapsed on the floor of the lounge, to the comfort of his bed.  He was still unconscious an hour later, so McGonagall dispatched Thor to collect his mother, Dr. Frigga, to examine Barnes. 

She also wanted an assessment on Steve.  While he was certainly conscious, ambulatory, and his normally feisty self, he was constantly rubbing at the inflamed star on his upper arm, and he seemed a bit dazed as well. Minerva had to cover her mouth to suppress the laugh that kept threatening to bubble up as she tracked Steve’s constant motion.  He seemed to almost bounce off the furniture, fretting over Barnes, fretting over the translation Lewis was working out, fretting over just why the book affected both him and Barnes.  

Finally, Miss Lewis had enough, got up, pushed Steve down on the sofa, turned around, and sat on him.Then she cast a simple levitation and drew the Red Skull Codex to her.

“Miss Lewis!We do not sit on the students!” Minerva chastised her subordinate.“Get off of him immediately.”

Darcy made a noise of protest, but got up promptly, sending Steve a flirty shrug as she stepped away from where he was starfished on the sofa.

Minerva pursed her lips as she noted Steve about to launch himself up off the sofa again.She shook her head, moved her fingers slightly, and said, “Steve, _dormi._ ”He fell back against the sofa, snoring softly.“You finish that translation, Miss Lewis.We can’t afford to dilly dally.”

“Yes, Miss McGonagall,” Darcy sing-songed.

&&&

“Well?”

“It’s as you feared, Minerva,” Frigga said soberly.  “Proximity to the Codex triggered the next phase of the curse.  Steve bringing it into James’s vicinity completed a circuit.”

She gently smoothed across the coverlet folded over James’s naked chest, her gaze dropping to the inflamed red star on his upper arm, and the interlocking black lines that reached from his shoulder blade to his fingers.  Her own fingers brushed softly over the skin of his arm, and she shook her head.  “His flesh is transmuting.  It’s still warm to the touch, but it has the texture of metal plates,” she added in wonder.

“Herr Schmidt was a talented if frighteningly bonkers wizard.  This has just been a perfect storm of unfortunate coincidences and alarmingly bad judgment -”

“Well, Darcy had no way of knowing that the Codex contained a passive spell like that.  It does dovetail with what we know of Schmidt - pointlessly cruel.”

“Hmm.  Darcy has just about completed the translation of the unlocking spell.  Is he strong enough to survive that?”

“At this stage, I would say yes.  The greater question is, is Steve?  This primal curse is linked to James’s life force.  But now it and James’s life force are linked to Steve’s.  And yet he must be the wizard who casts the unlocking spell.  It’s a great deal of strain on one individual.”

“Is there any way we could supplement him?  Lend our strength to him?”

“I think that’s a question for our translator and Mistress of Curses.”

“Hmm.”

&&&

“I sent Thor and Volstagg off to gather the necessary ingredients,” Darcy announced as McGonagall and Frigga came out of James’s bedroom.  

“The translation is complete, then.”

Darcy nodded.  “Most of the ingredients are simple, easily assembled.  Like I told Steve earlier.  The incantation itself isn’t complicated.  It never was.  The problem is the key ingredient is the caster themself.”

“Which brings me to the next question. Can we augment Master Rogers’ strength in casting the spell?”

Darcy shook her head.  “Sorry, it’s a solo mission.  What we can do is create a magical containment around it, so there’s no interference to distract or bleed off his energies.  That might actually help him conserve energy.  And it would contain the blowback if it goes wrong.”

Frigga made a displeased sound.  “How on earth did this curse get cast in the first place?  If the Codex is here -“

“We’ve long suspected another copy existed.  Or rather, an earlier version that doesn’t include the ... improvements made by Hogwarts scholars,” Minerva responded with a sour shake of her head.

“Yeah, one in which the counter spells were merely hinted.  After all, Schmidt didn’t really want anyone undoing his good work,” Darcy took up the narrative.  At Frigga’s curious expression, she elaborated, “Schmidt left cyphers to explain the counter spells to his curses and incantations.  Over the years, various Hogwarts wizards have decrypted the hints Schmidt left behind, and added notes to clarify the counter spells.  Most of the details of this counter spell are written in the margins - less translation than cryptography.  Whoever wrote it down had terrible penmanship.”

“But you’re sure about the interpretation?”

Darcy nodded solemnly.  “I never meant to put Steve in danger.  I had no idea the Codex had a built-in defense mechanism.  No one’s ever recorded a reaction like what’s happened here today.”

“I realize that.  Heavens, child, I’m the one who sent him to you.  It was foolish to assume that the curse itself didn’t have teeth of its own.”

“I’ve been wondering that, too.  That arm on Barnes - that’s not a normal part of a primal curse.  I think there’s another spell laid on top.  I’ve been looking through the Codex to see if I could find something that matched, and I think I have.  The _hibernis milite_.”

“The Winter Soldier?  A failsafe?”

“Whoever put the primal curse on James didn’t want anyone taking it off.”

“So that spell has to be neutralized first?”

“I think the counter will address them both, provided we don’t wait much longer.  There’s a bond between Steve and James, it’s grown over the time they’ve been together.  I teased Steve about being involved with James, but the fact is these two boys have multiple levels of connection.  And those connections strengthen Steve’s ability to counter the curse.  And the _hibernis milite_.  Provided it doesn’t advance much further.”

“And if it’s too late?”

“Then here’s the spell we’ll need to follow.”

&&&

In the end, it made the best sense for Steve to perform the counter spell in Bucky’s bedroom.  Thor and Volstagg had returned with the necessary ingredients, and Darcy had overseen the preparation, while Headmistress McGonagall and Dr. Frigga lent their support.  After rearranging Bucky’s room slightly, Thor remained at his mother’s side, and no one was particularly surprised to find that Loki was drawn to the activities, and took up his position on his mother’s other side. Together, the Odinson triumvirate represented a significant block of power, and they were able to conjure an impenetrable containment shell around the suite, abetted by Volstagg, Headmistress McGonagall, and Miss Lewis.

It was weird to work within a magical space that was disconnected from the world around him.  Steve didn’t realize how distracting the ambient and active magic around him was until it was cut off.  Or how much he relied on Earth magic to fuel so many of his spells.  But he was able to make his preparations with a singular focus, and could keenly feel how the magic took hold, swirling around him and building in crescendo. 

At last he was ready.  He walked into Bucky’s room, feeling like his whole body was ablaze with power.  Everyone followed, still maintaining that protective barrier around him.  An odd noise from Miss Lewis made him glance down, and he saw that the star on his upper arm was glowing now, a pure and incandescent white.  He could no longer feel the skin burning, lost in the flame that was his entire body, his entire spirit.

Then he noticed the red star on Bucky’s arm was glowing too, his a lurid, throbbing red.  The lines on his arm seemed to slither and seethe, and the skin of the arm reflected light like burnished metal.

Frigga moved to the head of Bucky’s bed where Thor had pulled the bed away from the wall, and arranged herself behind the headboard of Bucky’s bed, while Thor and Loki took up positions to either side.  Steve stood at the foot of the bed, with Miss Lewis and the Codex on one side, and Headmistress McGonagall on the other. Volstagg took up his spot directly behind Steve.  They formed an impenetrable ring of power around both Steve and Bucky.  Nothing could get in.  And hopefully there was nothing that would try to get out.

Steve lifted his wand and began the incantation ...

It only took a few words and a gentle sweep of Steve’s wand before Bucky reacted to the incantation, and the _hibernis milite_ , the Winter Soldier, spell was fully triggered.  Bucky’s eyes flashed open, unseeing, and he sat up abruptly like an automaton.  Then he leapt out of the bed and attacked Steve, pounding him with his left arm that appeared now to be fully metal, plates sliding smoothly over each other as the arm flexed and struck.  Steve immediately summoned his Patronus, an eagle with a massive wingspan, which formed a shield over his upraised arm, holding back Bucky’s attack.

Darcy, Minerva, and Frigga all raised their wands to counter the _hibernis milite_ , reciting the spell that Darcy had uncovered.  Their words rang on the air, bounced back from the magical containment, and filled the space with the pressure of their will. It lifted Bucky up off his feet, held him suspended in mid-air, his arms outstretched to either side and his back arched.  Steve’s Patronus rose up from where it protected Steve, and wrapped its wings around the naked torso of Bucky Barnes, cradling him in its embrace as he rose even further.  Suddenly, there was an intense white glare, like magnesium burning fast and hot.  As it faded, Steve’s Patronus gently returned the now-unconscious Bucky to his arms.

Bucky’s head lolled to one side, a sheen of sweat across his exposed skin, as the metallic sheen and the slithering black lines of his arm faded away.  The star remained, still glowing red.  But Steve had Bucky in his arms as he finished the incantation, the wings of his Patronus now wrapped protectively around them both.  Within moments, the star changed from red to white, and Bucky sagged against Steve, weak but conscious, and the Patronus dissipated.

Steve felt himself being dragged down by Bucky’s greater weight, and he let himself go with it, kneeling on the floor with Bucky’s bulk anchoring, grounding him.  They had never allowed themselves any form of intimacy beyond some shy hand-holding, yet Steve felt a sense of rightness, of things slotting into place, with Bucky wrapped in his arms.

“Hey, punk,” Bucky whispered softly, weakly, his eyes widening in shock at the sound of his own voice.

“Hey yourself, jerk,” Steve greeted, knowing he must look like a lovestruck loon, and not caring one whit.  

“Think I’m gonna take a nap now,” Bucky muttered as his eyes drifted closed, and his body relaxed fully.

Steve looked up, tears streaming down his face, to see Dr. Frigga hurrying over to examine Bucky.  But even before she got to them, Steve was treated to one of her sunny, loving smiles.  “You did it, Steve,” she whispered through her smile.  “You saved him.”  Then she caught his hand in hers, and squeezed encouragingly before she gestured for Thor and Volstagg to come over and help her get Bucky back into bed.

“Y’done good, there, Steve-o.  Might make a wizard outta you yet,” Miss Lewis announced as she sauntered toward the doorway.

“Not so fast, Miss Lewis!” the Headmistress countermanded.  “You can make yourself useful by clearing this mess up, and returning the Codex to its rightful place.”

“But -“

“No buts.Consider it discipline.Character building.Master Rogers and Master Barnes are exhausted from their ordeals.It’s the least you can do.”

“It’s the least you can do” Miss Lewis muttered childishly under her breath but loud enough to be heard - as she intended.  

McGonagall simply arched an eyebrow and stared her down.  Naturally she won.

“You’ve done very well, Master Rogers.  But you should get some rest now, too.”

“I want to stay with Bucky.  I want to be here when he wakes up.”

“We’ll organize some furniture for Steve,” Thor volunteered himself and Volstagg.  “What?” he demanded of his brother, who looked at him with an arched eyebrow and a hint of humor in his eyes.  “He is small, we are large.  I don’t want to be responsible for him breaking something if he falls over.”

“Admit it, Thor.  You’re a softie.”

“When did you claim to be anything but?” Volstagg asked as he and Thor exited to get something comfortable for Steve to rest in.

“Well, help your brother.  If they’re not supervised, they’ll move the contents of Steve’s room in here, and that won’t do,” McGonagall commanded.

“Won’t it?” Loki chuckled as he hurried after his brother and friend.

Then McGonagall turned to Dr. Frigga, who straightened from her examination of Bucky.“He’s resting comfortably.Steve, I’ll organize a light meal to be brought up for James.You might as well put your order in, too.You’ll need to replenish the energy the spell depleted.I’ll have some snacks and drinks brought up, too.Can I trust you to take care of my patient?”

Steve nodded solemnly.“Absolutely.”

Dr. Frigga smiled that amazing smile of hers, and patted Steve’s arm as she came round the bed on her way out.“You did very well, Steve.He’s lucky to have you.”

Thor and Volstagg came in then, carrying a small couch from the lounge between them.  Behind them, Loki brought up the rear with a pile of comfy pillows and a couple of soft throws Steve’s Ma had sent him.  They positioned the couch right next to Bucky’s bed after they shifted it back to its original position.  “Do you need any further assistance, Steve?” Thor asked kindly, and Steve shook his head.  

“Thanks for this.  For helping with the spells.  I don't know how to thank you enough.”

“Game night, hosted in your rooms, once Barnes is feeling better.  You provide the butter beer,” Loki suggested.

“Done,” Steve answered, feeling suddenly completely done in.  He sagged on his feet, and Headmistress McGonagall was the closest, so she caught him before he swayed into a heap.  

“Rest, now, Steve.  You’ve earned it.  And make sure you and James eat every bit of the food Dr. Frigga sends up for you. You’ll need to recover your strength.  While the curse is broken, there’s still a mystery to solve.  And I’m going to need your help with that, as well.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Steve replied obediently.

“Quite right. Now, gentlemen - shall we?”

&&&

Steve slept through the delivery of the food and drink, and everything was left on the sideboard in the lounge, enchanted to remain appropriately warm or cold, and to stay fresh.

He slept through the hubbub of his peers returning to their rooms after classes, after dinner, and their revels into the night.  When he finally woke, the room was awash in silvery moonlight, and that light reflected off the gray-blue eyes that watched him calmly.  Fondly.

“Thought you were gonna need true love’s kiss to wake you,” Bucky said then from where he was sitting up in bed, and Steve had to smile at the sound of his voice.  It was just right, a velvety sound that sent a thrill racing through his body.

“Who woulda done that, huh?”

“Thought I might volunteer.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.You know why you were able to break the curse, right?”

“I have an idea.Do you know who bound you like that?”

“My old headmaster, Pierce.Guy’s a complete fucknut.Has designs on ruling the entire wizarding world.Fancies himself this generation’s Voldemort.He’s the high priest of the Cult of Hydra.And he’s got my friends - Nat, Clint, Wanda, and Pietro.”

“Why’d he let you come here for help then?”

“He didn’t believe anyone could release me.It’s a power thing for him.He’s sitting in his office laughing his ass off, thinking no one could break the curse.No one suspects anything, least of all his plans to enslave first wizards, then all magical creatures, and eventually the muggles, too.”

“We need to tell Miss McGonagall.She’ll need to bring the Ministry in on this.We’ll stop him.”

“When you talk like that, I believe you.Hell, just being able to talk again ... if I didn’t already know that magic’s exists, you could convince me.You’re magic, Steve.”

“Well, I am a wizard, after all.But you make me sound more important than I am -“

“Pierce would gloat.I could know what the missing ingredient was, but I couldn’t say.And no one would be able to figure it out.So no one would ever be able to help me.Except for you, Steve.”

Bucky beckoned Steve closer then, and Steve obliged.Bucky craned up and kissed Steve then.He was smiling when they broke the kiss, and Steve felt like he was flooded with light and energy.

“I’m telling you, I didn’t do anything special.”

“It’s who you are that made the difference.”

“What, Steve Rogers is the missing ingredient.”

“No.My soulmate.You’re my soulmate, Steve.And I’m yours.”

“So the stars -“

“The physical manifestation of our magical bond.”

“Which means that any sympathetic magic we try to do together -“

“Will be magnified sevenfold.We can save my friends and liberate my old school.We can stop Pierce.And if you can get the Head to back us?Nothing can stand in our way.”

“McGonagall won’t hesitate.She’s really pretty awesome.Pierce and his cult of Hydra are going down.But first, we gotta get your friends out of there.”

“I’ve already been in touch with them telepathically,We use a spell that lets us talk no matter how far apart we are.The curse prevented me from using it before, but once I woke up and realized it was really gone, that was the first thing I did.They’ve all contacted their parents to pull them out of Hydra-Shield and send them here.Pierce can’t stop that.Not without showing his hand too early.So we’ve got a little time before it all starts moving too fast.”He trailed his hands up Steve’s arms, reaching up to cradle Steve’s cheek in the palm of his hand.“So how about we grab something to eat, ‘cos I’m starving and something smells great out there.And then I’d like to kiss you some more.Like a lot more.Til the end of the line more.”

“For a guy who hasn’t talked for a while, you sure know the right thing to say,” Steve replied, bending down to kiss Bucky again.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. But food first.Then we find Miss McGonagall and you tell her about Pierce.Then we can come back to that most excellent idea of yours.Cos I’m in, Buck.I’m all in.Til the end of the line.”

 

END

**Author's Note:**

> I think I may come back and dabble in this universe at some point, but I honestly have no desire to write a massive wizarding world battle or war. But I do like this universe, and I think it would be fun to play in it with Bucky’s friends discovering Hogwarts, and teasing him and Steve mercilessly over how tooth-rotting cute they are together ...
> 
> Let me know what you think!
> 
> Come find me on the interwebs: https://linktr.ee/debwalshweb


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